LANSING — The Detroit Caucus held a Pre-Mackinac Education Breakfast Meet and Greet Reception today in honor of the Detroit Public Schools Community District’s new superintendent, Dr. Nikolai Vitti. The event was held in Lansing and served to introduce Vitti to state education officials and legisaltors.
“It was our pleasure to host Dr. Vitti in Lansing today, and the Detroit Caucus is looking forward to continuing to partner with him in the future to advance the educational goals we hold for Detroit’s children,” said state Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo (D-Detroit), chair of the Detroit Caucus and Education Reform advisor and chair. “As countless changes have taken place over recent years in Detroit’s school system, we have worked relentlessly to keep the education of Detroit’s children at the forefront of all that we do. Bringing on Dr. Vitti is yet another step in continuing to stabilize education in our city, and ensure that our children are given every opportunity to learn and grow. Relationships matter, and our goal today is to make certain that Dr. Vitti has an opportunity to establish a working relationship with policymakers on both sides of the aisle.”
The reception included many attendees who are critical figures in shaping Michigan’s educational policy. Guests included state Superintendent Brian Whiston; state Sen. Geoff Hansen (R-Hart), chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on K-12, School Aid and Education; state Rep. Tim Kelly (R-Saginaw Township), chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education Reform and School Aid and Education; Democratic Leader Sam Singh (D-East Lansing); state Rep. Adam Zemke (D-Ann Arbor), Democratic vice chair of the House Education Reform Committee; Superintendent Randy Liepa of the Wayne Regional Educational Service Agency; Nick Khouri, treasurer of the Financial Review Commission; state Board of Education member Michelle Fecteau; Wayne RESA board members Mary Blackmon and Linda Jackson; and Detroit Board of Education members Deborah Hunter Harvill and LaMar Lemmons, and Board President Iris Taylor.
“As a former DPS teacher and advocate for education, I am pleased that we can continue forward with a new superintendent in place to begin restoring DPSCD so that our children can receive the quality education they deserve,” Rep. Gay-Dagnogo said. “It is critical that the Detroit Caucus create a strong bond with Dr. Vitti to allow us to collaborate on methods for success in our classrooms, and to benefit from the valuable input we can contribute to make our city’s schools stronger. I look forward to this being only the beginning of the Detroit Caucus’s relationship with Dr. Vitti.”